Reviews of brunch places in and around the Greater Philadelphia Region, recipes & more.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Off The Waffle, Eugene OR

Brunch Philly: Summer Travel Edition

If you are ever in Eugene Oregon, a trip to “Off The Waffle” will be well worth the line. I was introduced to the place by a brunchmate who declared: "I really don’t like waffles but I love this place!"

When my brunchmates & I arrive the line to order is long still but inside. By the time we receive our waffles, it is out the door and wrapped around the building.

Off The Waffle was started by three brothers who spent time living in Belgium, perfecting their yeast-based Liège Waffles. Crispy, with tiny sweet spots of imported Belgian pearled sugar that caramelizes in the batter, I’ve discovered that their waffles go best with a “savory” or “in-between” topping.

I order the Ole Banana Split ($5.75 without substitutions) but substitute the ice cream for a locally made mango sorbetto and add strawberries. Something is lost in translation, because I get strawberries but no bananas. The waffle is incredible—topped with fresh real whipped cream, slivered almonds, a dark chocolate sauce, fresh berries, and the cold tart sorbetto. However, the sweetness is just too much. It overwhelms the waffle rather than compliment it. That said, it is a very tasty treat.

One brunchmate orders the BMB ($5.75), bacon, basil, maple syrup and Havarti cheese. Everyone decides this is one of best, if not the best combination, that Off The Waffle makes.

Another brunchmate orders the Habib ($5.50 without additions), raw pistachios, chévre goat cheese and ground cardamom. She adds bacon to this combination. The cardamom nicely complements the chévre and the crunch of pistachios really pulls everything together.

On a second visit, much later in the day, there is no line at all. I try the Shmooli ($5.50) pear, smoked gouda, applesauce, crushed walnuts, and ground coriander (sorry, no picture!). This combination works much better than the first, each ingredient compliments the other in an outstanding flavor combination!

No matter what combination you choose, even if you decide to have one plain ($2.75) you really cannot go wrong.

Oh, and if you’re broke, Off The Waffle is open to bartering for their waffles…